Chelsea’s default shape under Maresca is easily identifiable and widely known - but the Italian’s ‘line of six’ is a situational tactic

“Football always evolves,” said Maresca, whose side take a 2-1 aggregate lead into the home leg of their Conference League last-16 tie against Copenhagen on Thursday.

Chelsea face an enormous week in their 2024/25 season with Copenhagen coming to Stamford Bridge on Thursday evening in the Conference League and then a Premier League trip to Arsenal less than 72 hour

Nobody will mind how Chelsea play against Arsenal and Tottenham if they get six points. But if you play results football and do not get the results, fans have every right to question what they are paying for.

Still inside the stadium, Enzo Maresca used his post-match press conference to praise the flexibility of his side, after they had tweaked their shape to adapt to struggling Leicester fielding - shock horror - a reinforced defence away from home to one of the big boys.

Chelsea secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Leicester City at Stamford Bridge, but fan frustration was evident despite the three points.

Chelsea news as Enzo Maresca risks losing the faith of his home crowd after recent performances even if results do turn around

Enzo Maresca has revealed his unusual demands of his Chelsea players as he warned disgruntled fans over their expectations of his playing style.